Toys old and new: Sorting and setting

This lesson draws on some excellent resources you may not have come across, produced by museums in Bedfordshire and Warwickshire.  Not only do they look at old and new and then and now they also offer Venn diagrams which provide that extra challenge.  You will see from the example of pupils’ work (Jake in a Reception class) that pupils can certainly grasp the concept of old and new given the right sort of learning experiences.

Learning objectives

  • children develop an understanding of old and new, then and now in the context of old toys
  • they are able to select an old object from a collection of old and new
  • they are able to give at least 1 or 2 criteria to explain how we know an object is old.

Step 1

Start with an old object, for example a teddy bear, making sure that there are clear signs of age. Then introduce another teddy from today, again making sure it is brand new. Which of the teddies is old? How do we know? Repeat the same process with another old object that is also familiar to the children.

Step 2

As this skill will need consolidation try again with

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